Yellow-throated Warbler

The Yellow-throated Warbler is a handsome, boldly patterned warbler with clean gray upperparts, a white belly, and a vivid yellow throat and upper breast that stands out sharply against a black-and-white striped face. A white patch on the side of the neck and a bold white eyebrow stripe add further contrast to the black face mask, while the flanks show crisp black streaking.

Its bill is noticeably long and slightly downcurved compared to most warblers, an adaptation that helps it probe into bark crevices, pine needle clusters, and hanging Spanish moss in search of hidden insects.

Key field marks

• Gray upperparts, white belly, bright yellow throat and upper breast
• Bold black-and-white striped face with a black mask through the eye
• White patch on the side of the neck
• Black streaking on the flanks
• Longer, slightly downcurved bill than most warblers

Similar species

Grace's Warbler shows a similar face and throat pattern but has a shorter supercilium that doesn't extend past the eye, less extensive yellow limited mostly to the throat/breast, and occurs in western pine forests rather than the East. Blackburnian Warbler shares a black-and-white face pattern but has orange (not yellow) on the throat and a different overall pattern.

Yellow-throated Warblers breed in pine woodlands, bottomland hardwood forest, and sycamore-lined waterways across the southeastern and eastern United States, often in areas with hanging Spanish moss, which they use both for foraging and nest material.

Many populations are short-distance migrants or even partial residents, wintering along the Gulf Coast, Florida, the Caribbean, and into Mexico and Central America, with some birds remaining resident year-round in the southernmost parts of the breeding range.

Behavior and voice

Yellow-throated Warblers forage methodically, creeping along branches and tree trunks somewhat like a nuthatch, and probing into pine needle clusters, bark crevices, and clumps of Spanish moss for hidden insects and spiders.

The song is a series of clear, descending whistled notes that often ends with an upslurred flourish, rendered roughly as "tee-ew tee-ew tee-ew tee-ew twee."

Nesting

The nest is often built high in a pine tree or suspended within a clump of Spanish moss, constructed of plant fibers, bark strips, and down. Clutches typically contain 3-5 eggs.